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Jazz Camps for Adults (With Bass Faculty)

22 jazz camps, workshops and summer schools that take adult players, in the US, Canada, Ireland and continental Europe, with the bass teachers each one names. Every card comes from the program’s own website, checked October 8, 2026. Most programs haven’t posted 2027 dates yet, so those cards show last summer’s dates and prices until they do. How to pick a camp on bass.

  • 22 programs
  • 8 countries
  • 39 bass teachers named
  • Checked Oct 8, 2026

Jazz camps for adults in United States

June

2027: June 5 to 12

Jazz Camp West

La Honda, California

Living Jazz, at YMCA Camp Jones Gulch

Adults and teens

  • Who: Adults and teens. About 35 of roughly 250 campers are teenagers.
  • Level: All skill levels.
  • Audition: Evaluations on arrival day place you in combos.
  • Cost: 2026 rates, all meals included: $2,172 commuting, $2,365 camping or RV, $2,475 to $3,295 with a cabin or room. $100 off if you pay in full by March 1, 2027.
  • Format: Eight days. Build your own schedule from 125+ classes a day (up to six), plus combos, daily camper shows, faculty concerts, late-night jams and a Latin Big Band.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Steve Hogan, Giulio Xavier Cetto, Bethany Robinson

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: June 13 to 18 or June 20 to 25

New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp for Adults

New Orleans, Louisiana

At the Royal Sonesta Hotel, French Quarter

Adult campString bass only

  • Who: An adult camp. Minimum age 13, and campers under 18 come with an adult.
  • Level: No beginners: you need basic command of your instrument, chord structure and basic sight-reading.
  • Audition: First-timers send a video of at least 2 minutes. Audio files aren't accepted.
  • Cost: $2,750 per week for 2027, including 6 nights at a French Quarter hotel. $100 deposit to register.
  • Format: Early New Orleans jazz: sectionals, ensembles, a private lesson, jam sessions (one at a Bourbon Street club) and, if its schedule allows, a set at Preservation Hall.
  • Bass faculty (current list): Mark Brooks and Shawn Nadeau, string bass
  • Bass gear: Acoustic string bass only, and no amps. They provide a string bass if you don't bring one.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: June 20 to 25

Tritone Jazz at Naz

Rochester, New York

Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps, at Nazareth University

21 and over

  • Who: Adults 21 and over, singers and instrumentalists.
  • Level: All levels. Combos are grouped by ability, and no Tritone camp has ever had more than 55 campers.
  • Audition: None. "No tapes, no auditions": you describe your experience and they place you.
  • Cost: 2027 prices not posted yet. $100 deposit to register.
  • Format: Five full days of combos and big band, ear training and improvisation, master classes, jam sessions and evening concerts.
  • Bass faculty (2027): Marco Panascia (listed as tentative)
  • Bass gear: Bassists bring everything they need, amp included.
  • Deadline: Registration opens in December 2026.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: June 21 to 27

Jazz Lab: Workshop for Adults

Boston, Massachusetts

New England Conservatory

18 and over

  • Who: Ages 18 and up: college students, music teachers, hobbyists and pros.
  • Level: Any experience level.
  • Audition: None required.
  • Cost: 2026: $3,394 with housing and meals, $2,394 commuting (meals included).
  • Format: Daily instrument class, small ensemble, elective and master class, private lessons, evenings out in Boston's jazz scene, final concert with the faculty.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Ehud Ettun

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: June 22 to 26

Lynn Seaton Jazz Double Bass Workshop

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas College of Music

Bass onlyUpright only

  • Who: Advanced high school (14+), college, professional and serious amateur upright bassists.
  • Level: Advanced. Beginners are pointed to the Jeff Bradetich Workshop instead.
  • Audition: No audition listed. It's capped at 11 bassists, first come, first served.
  • Cost: 2026: $1,200 with housing and meals, $925 as a day camper.
  • Format: A whole week on bass: upright technique, walking lines, playing with a rhythm section, theory, jazz bass history, bass ensembles, coaching with Lynn Seaton and a closing Bass Bash concert.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Lynn Seaton
  • Bass gear: Upright bass only.
  • Deadline: 2026: June 1, or when the 11 spots filled.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: one-week sessions, June 28 to September 3

NYJA Summer Jazz Intensives

New York City

New York Jazz Academy, Manhattan

Teens and adultsDay program

  • Who: Teens and adults, beginners to pros. Placement goes by level first, then age.
  • Level: Beginner to advanced professional.
  • Audition: Apply online; they reply in 5 to 10 business days.
  • Cost: 2027: $1,495 per in-person week ($1,196 member price). Online weeks from $560. No housing.
  • Format: Mon to Fri, 11am to 5pm: theory and harmony, improvisation, a master class or concert, ensemble rehearsal. Private lessons by appointment. Come for one week or several.
  • Bass faculty: no bassist named by instrument on the site

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

July

2027: one-week sessions, July 4 to 30

Litchfield Jazz Camp

Washington, Connecticut

Litchfield Performing Arts, at The Frederick Gunn School

Mostly teens

  • Who: Mostly ages 13 to 17, but they've had campers up to age 75. Older campers dorm apart from the younger ones.
  • Level: All levels, non-competitive.
  • Audition: Combo, theory and instrument assessments at Sunday check-in.
  • Cost: 2027: $1,800 per week as a day student, $2,200 residential, for up to four one-week sessions.
  • Format: Master classes, two combo blocks a day, theory and composition, nightly faculty concerts, jam sessions and a Friday student concert.
  • Bass faculty (current list): Sam Dingle, Luques Curtis, Sean Pentland, Avery Sharpe, Joris Teepe

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: July 11 to 16

Tritone Jazz at Bjorklunden

Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin

Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps, on Lake Michigan in Door County

21 and over

  • Who: Adults 21 and over, singers and instrumentalists.
  • Level: All levels. Combos are grouped by ability, and no Tritone camp has ever had more than 55 campers.
  • Audition: None. "No tapes, no auditions": you describe your experience and they place you.
  • Cost: 2027 prices not posted yet. $100 deposit to register.
  • Format: Five full days of combos and big band, ear training and improvisation, master classes, jam sessions and evening concerts.
  • Bass faculty (2027): Mark Urness (listed as tentative)
  • Bass gear: Bassists bring everything they need, amp included.
  • Deadline: Registration opens in December 2026. On-site rooms are already sold out; most campers stay in Baileys Harbor.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 12 to 17

Jazz Combo Workshop

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas College of Music

Ages 14 and up

  • Who: Musicians of all levels, minimum age 14. No upper age limit is listed.
  • Level: All levels.
  • Audition: A combo placement audition and theory check on the first day. Nothing to prepare.
  • Cost: 2026: $1,200 with housing and meals, $925 as a day camper.
  • Format: Jazz theory and improvisation, history and listening, combo rehearsals, bass master classes, nightly faculty concerts, student concerts and jam sessions.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Lynn Seaton, Kai Wagner
  • Deadline: 2026: June 22, with a limit of 16 players per instrument.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: July 19 to 25

Jazz Port Townsend

Port Townsend, Washington

Centrum, at Fort Worden State Park

Ages 14 and up

  • Who: Ages 14 and up. About half the participants are under 20.
  • Level: Seasoned pros to beginning improvisers, but even the beginner classes expect a fair degree of skill.
  • Audition: Recorded audition required (2026 deadline May 25). Your deposit comes back if you're not accepted.
  • Cost: 2026: $995 tuition, $440 dorm, $320 to $420 for meals.
  • Format: Daily combo coaching, master classes for each instrument, theory, hosted jam sessions, a Reading Big Band and the Jazz Port Townsend Festival.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Rufus Reid, Michael Glynn, Liany Mateo, Martin Wind

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 19 to 25

William Paterson Summer Jazz Workshop

New Jersey

William Paterson University

Ages 14 and upAdults commute

  • Who: Ages 14 and up. Adults (18+) attend as commuters.
  • Level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced. No jazz background needed.
  • Cost: 2026: $1,418 commuter fee.
  • Format: Seven days: a 3-hour ensemble rehearsal every day, improvisation, arranging and jazz history classes, private lessons, master classes, nightly concerts and a final concert.
  • Bass faculty: no bassist named by instrument on the site

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

Jazz camps for adults in Canada

August

2027 dates not posted · 2026: August 4 to 22

Banff Centre Jazz & Sonic Arts

Banff, Alberta

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

18 and overAdvanced

  • Who: Ages 18 and up: post-secondary students and artists already at an advanced level.
  • Level: Advanced.
  • Audition: Application with a documented record of your playing or creative work. C$65 to apply.
  • Cost: 2026: C$8,295 for tuition, a single room and meals, but every arts participant gets a scholarship, so the price paid was C$2,630.25.
  • Format: A residency: group and one-on-one work with faculty, studio recording, concerts, and an open jam after every concert.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Ole Morten Vågan

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027: August 23 to 29

JazzWorks Jazz Camp

Harrington, Quebec

JazzWorks Canada, at the CAMMAC Music Centre on Lac MacDonald

Adult players

  • Who: Run by an Ottawa nonprofit for adult players and talented youth.
  • Level: Beginner to seasoned. You need some skill on your instrument, not a jazz background.
  • Audition: No audition to get in. After you register, you send an MP3 demo (a ballad and an up-tempo tune) so they can place you in a combo.
  • Cost: 2026, main 3-night camp: C$655 course only, C$1,030 to C$1,390 staying on site. The full 6 nights with the composing or practice retreat ran C$1,310 to C$2,430.
  • Format: Combos, coaching, master classes, jam sessions, theory and a participant concert, with an optional 3-day composers' symposium or practice retreat first.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Adrian Vedady, musical director
  • Deadline: 2026: demos due June 15.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

Jazz camps for adults in UK and Ireland

No UK program made the list this time. See the notes for what we checked.

July

2027: July 20 to 25

Sligo International Jazz Summer School

Sligo, Ireland

Sligo Jazz Project

All agesNo auditions

  • Who: All ages, with separate adult and youth prices.
  • Level: No minimum grade. They suggest grade 3 or above to get the most out of the week.
  • Audition: No auditions.
  • Cost: 2026: €799 adult plus booking fee, with lunches on the four main days and entry to every festival concert. Single masterclass €80, one full day €150.
  • Format: Workshops, masterclasses and ensembles from 10am to 4pm, jam sessions twice a day, nightly festival concerts by the faculty.
  • Bass faculty (2026): John Goldsby, Jasper Høiby, Diarmuid Lally, Conor Murray

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

Jazz camps for adults in Europe

June

2027 dates not posted · 2026: June 22 to 26

Keep an Eye Summer Jazz Workshop

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Advanced

  • Who: Professionals and students from anywhere. No age limit is listed.
  • Level: Advanced.
  • Audition: Three video links: two standards at different tempos plus an original or free choice, played with a rhythm section or a play-along.
  • Cost: 2026: €650 (that already includes a €300 scholarship). Travel, lodging and meals are extra.
  • Format: Daily combo and improvisation classes, group and individual masterclasses for your instrument, electives, evening concerts and jam sessions.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Matt Penman
  • Deadline: 2026: June 1, with rolling admission.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: June 30 to July 12

Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics

Perugia, Italy

Umbria Jazz with Berklee College of Music

Ages 15 and upMostly students

  • Who: Minimum age 15, no upper limit listed, but it's designed for high school and college-age players.
  • Level: At least six months on your instrument. Ensembles are grouped by ability.
  • Audition: Send a recording or video with up to two tracks.
  • Cost: 2026: €650 tuition, with a pass to the Umbria Jazz Festival's arena concerts. Housing is extra.
  • Format: Daily ensembles, master classes, after-hours jam sessions and final concerts, including one on a festival stage.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Fernando Huergo

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

July

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 5 to 10

Jodoigne Jazz Workshop (Stage de jazz)

Jodoigne, Belgium

Summer Productions, at the Académie de Musique de Jodoigne

Ages 14 and up

  • Who: Ages 14 and up, with a good command of your instrument.
  • Cost: Not posted now that registration has closed.
  • Format: Individual or small-group instrument lessons, two hours of ensemble a day, optional harmony, rhythm, free improvisation and ear classes, jams after dinner and a closing concert. Rooms are singles at a local boarding school.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Félix Zurstrassen (electric bass), Victor Foulon (double bass)
  • Bass gear: Separate electric bass and double bass teachers.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 12 to 18

Jazz au Vert

Godinne (Yvoir), Belgium

Les Lundis d'Hortense, at Internat Saint-Paul

Ages 16 and up

  • Who: Ages 16 and up, amateurs and professionals.
  • Level: Not for people just starting an instrument.
  • Audition: Auditions on the first afternoon, after check-in.
  • Cost: 2026: €650 with a single room and meals (plus a €50 deposit you get back), €525 without the room. Under 26: €550 or €435.
  • Format: Instrument lessons every morning, ensembles, harmony by level, evening workshops (big band, rhythm, African music, free improvisation), jam sessions every night and public concerts.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Michel Vrydag (electric bass), Jean-Louis Rassinfosse (double bass)
  • Bass gear: Separate electric bass and double bass teachers. Bring your own instrument and amp.
  • Good to know: The 2026 double bass class had a waiting list.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 13 to 18

Internationaler Jazz Workshop Berlin

Berlin, Germany

Musikschule City West

Bassists pay less

  • Who: Adult classes, plus a separate class for kids.
  • Level: Beginners and advanced players.
  • Audition: None mentioned. When a class has more takers than places, places are drawn by lot.
  • Cost: €330 for the adult classes, or €264 reduced, and bassists get the reduced fee (fees posted as current since January 2023).
  • Format: Bass class plus groove, improvisation and ensemble classes, weekdays 10:00 to 18:30, with student and teacher concerts at a Berlin jazz club.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Lukas Growe, Horst Nonnenmacher
  • Bass gear: The bass class is for double bass and electric bass.
  • Good to know: The 2026 workshop sold out.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

2027 dates not posted · 2026: July 28 to August 7

Siena Jazz International Summer Workshop

Siena, Italy

Siena Jazz, at the Fortezza Medicea

Audition by recording

  • Who: Students and working musicians. No age limit is listed.
  • Level: Selective: a committee reviews every application.
  • Audition: Links to 3 recorded pieces (blues, rhythm changes, standards, a modal tune or an original).
  • Cost: 2026: €1,000 course fee, or €350 to sit in as a listener. Housing is extra; their housing office helps you find a room.
  • Format: Two improvisation lessons and two ensemble labs a day, each with four different teachers, jam sessions and four final concerts per student. Bass classes max out at 12.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Thomas Morgan, Brad Jones, Mark Dresser, Giovanni Maier
  • Deadline: 2026: applications opened April 10 and closed when places filled.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

August

2027 dates not posted · 2026: August 20 to 28

Nuoro Jazz Seminars

Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy

Ente Musicale di Nuoro

All levels

  • Who: No age limit is listed. You apply with a form and your musical background.
  • Level: All levels. Teachers split students into two or three levels on day one.
  • Audition: A placement hearing on the first morning.
  • Cost: 2026: €380, including the international masterclass and a pass to the festival concerts. Rooms are extra; the organizer has deals with local B&Bs and hotels.
  • Format: Instrument classes, theory, ensembles that play the final concert, an international masterclass and nightly festival concerts.
  • Bass faculty (2026): Paolino Dalla Porta (bass and double bass), Salvatore Maltana (electric bass, artistic director)
  • Bass gear: The bass class covers electric and double bass.
  • Deadline: 2026: July 31.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

October

October 8 to 11, 2026 · next date not posted

Jazz Workshops for Adults (Warsztaty jazzowe dla dorosłych)

Sokole Kuźnica, Poland

Muzykariat, at Pensjonat Rybakówka in the Bory Tucholskie forest

Adults onlyAny level

  • Who: Adults who play for fun, not for a living.
  • Level: Any level, and you don't need to read music. Max 15 people.
  • Audition: None. Places go in order of sign-up, per instrument.
  • Cost: 5,300 zł, including 3 nights in a single room and all meals.
  • Format: A small instrumental group that plays with a house rhythm section, a vocal group, and jam sessions every night where both groups play what they worked on.
  • Bass faculty: no bassist named by instrument on the site
  • Bass gear: Bass guitarists and double bassists are both invited.

Program site Checked October 8, 2026

How to pick a jazz camp as a bass player

Here’s what to check before you pay a deposit, taken from what the programs themselves say.

Side A · Picking a camp · Bass

Picking a camp on bass

  1. A1Upright, electric or both? Read the bass class description. The Lynn Seaton workshop at UNT is upright only. The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp takes acoustic string bass only, with no amps. Jazz au Vert and the Jodoigne workshop in Belgium have separate electric and double bass teachers.
  2. A2Ask what to bring. Jazz au Vert asks everyone to bring their own instrument and amp. Tritone asks bassists to bring everything they need, amp included. The New Orleans camp provides a string bass if you don’t bring one.
  3. A3Know how they place you. Tritone says “No tapes, no auditions.” UNT, Nuoro Jazz and Jazz au Vert hold auditions on the first day. Siena Jazz, the Keep an Eye workshop in Amsterdam and the Umbria Jazz Clinics want recordings before they accept you.
  4. A4Look at the bass teachers, not only the headliners. Some camps list several. Centrum’s 2026 faculty included Rufus Reid, Michael Glynn, Liany Mateo and Martin Wind on bass, and Siena Jazz and Sligo each listed four bass teachers.
  5. A5Check the age mix. Centrum says about half its participants are under 20, and Litchfield is mostly 13 to 17. Tritone is 21 and over, and NEC’s Jazz Lab is 18 and over.
  6. A6Look for a bass discount. The Berlin workshop puts bassists in its reduced-fee group: €264 instead of €330.
  7. A7Book early when the bass class is small. The UNT bass workshop takes 11 players. Siena Jazz caps bass at 12, and Jazz au Vert’s double bass class had a waiting list in 2026.
  8. A8Follow up after. New York bassist Will Lyle’s advice about jam sessions: “if you like the way that somebody plays go up to them and see if you can try to work with them.”

From the programs’ own sites, checked October 8, 2026. Will Lyle quote: lesson 5 of his Better Bass Lessons course, From Unknown to Unavailable.

Ended, cancelled or not confirmed

We checked these too. They’re not on the wall because they’ve stopped, were cancelled, or their own sites don’t confirm that adults can attend.

  • EndedVermont Jazz Center Summer Jazz Workshop (Brattleboro, Vermont). The center’s site says goodbye to the Summer Jazz Workshop and says it’s re-imagining its summer programs. In 2026 it ran a 4-day vocal intensive instead.
  • EndedJamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops (Louisville, Kentucky). The workshop website no longer loads, and the University of Louisville says it hosted the workshops from 1977 to 2019. We found no session since.
  • Teens onlyStanford Jazz Workshop, Jazz Institute (Stanford, California). Its 2027 pages list the Jazz Institute for ages 14 to 18, so we can’t list it for adults this year.
  • CancelledBass-Stringtheory at Musik-Kurswochen Arosa (Switzerland). This pop-to-jazz bass course was marked cancelled for July 2026.
  • Not confirmedGuildhall School Jazz & Rock Week (London). The course page now says there’s nothing to view, so we couldn’t confirm anything about it. We’ll add it if Guildhall posts it again.
  • Not confirmedDjango in June (Massachusetts). The gypsy jazz camp ran June 8 to 14, 2026, but its site doesn’t say who can attend.
  • Not confirmedShell Lake Arts Center jazz camps (Wisconsin). Built for grades 6 to 12; adults can register only as commuters and only with the instructor’s consent. Its 2027 “Adult Mini Sessions” don’t say what they cover yet.
  • Not confirmedColaJazz adult camp (Columbia, South Carolina). ColaJazz’s site describes an adult camp but doesn’t post its dates or price.
  • Not confirmedThe Adult Jazz Camp listed at wcmusic.org and California Jazz Conservatory (Berkeley). Both sites blocked our check, so we couldn’t confirm dates, prices or who can attend.

Go deeper

Walking Basslines on Upright Bass: From the Beginning

A 5-lesson upright method built on the 1-3-5-7, the walking approach Ron Carter taught Cole at Juilliard.

See the course

FAQ

Are there jazz camps just for adults?

Yes. Tritone's two camps, in Rochester, New York and Door County, Wisconsin, are for ages 21 and up. NEC's Jazz Lab in Boston and Banff's Jazz & Sonic Arts residency are 18 and up. The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp calls itself a camp for adults, and the Polish Warsztaty jazzowe dla dorosłych are for adult amateurs. JazzWorks Canada runs its camp for adult players and talented youth.

Do adult jazz camps make you audition?

Some don't. Tritone says "No tapes, no auditions," NEC's Jazz Lab requires none, and Sligo holds no auditions. Several hold auditions on the first day instead (UNT, Nuoro Jazz, Jazz au Vert). The selective ones want recordings first: Siena Jazz asks for 3 pieces, the Keep an Eye workshop in Amsterdam asks for 3 videos, and Centrum asks for a recorded audition after you register.

Can I bring an electric bass to a jazz camp?

It depends on the camp. Jazz au Vert, the Jodoigne workshop and Nuoro Jazz list electric bass teachers alongside double bass, and Berlin's bass class covers both. The Lynn Seaton workshop at UNT is upright only, and the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp takes acoustic string bass only, with no amps.

How much does a jazz camp for adults cost?

It varies a lot. Some examples from the programs' own sites: €330 for the Berlin workshop's adult classes (€264 for bassists), €799 for Sligo in 2026, $995 tuition at Centrum in 2026 plus room and meals, and $3,394 for NEC's 2026 Jazz Lab with housing and meals. Each card shows the price the program posted and the year it applies to.

When do 2027 dates come out?

Some are already posted: Jazz Camp West (June 5 to 12), the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp (June 13 to 18 and June 20 to 25), Tritone (June 20 to 25 in Rochester, July 11 to 16 in Wisconsin), NYJA (weekly from June 28), Litchfield (from July 4), Centrum (July 19 to 25), Sligo (July 20 to 25) and JazzWorks (August 23 to 29). Tritone says registration opens in December 2026, and Centrum's opens in January 2027.

Which jazz camps take beginners?

JazzWorks takes beginner to seasoned players and doesn't require a jazz background. Sligo has no minimum grade. NYJA and the William Paterson workshop take beginners, and the Polish adult workshops don't require reading music. On the other side, Jazz au Vert says it isn't for people just starting an instrument, and the New Orleans camp asks for basic sight-reading and chord knowledge.

How we checked

A program goes on this page only when its own website, or its host school’s, shows who can attend and when it runs, and it accepts adults. We read the dates, prices, levels, audition rules and faculty from those pages on October 8, 2026, and saved a copy of each. Bass faculty are the people each program lists for bass or double bass. Where a camp names teachers without instruments, we don’t guess. Programs we could only find on listing or ticket sites stay off until we can confirm them.

Sources

Better Bass Lessons isn’t connected to any program on this page. Dates and prices change; confirm with the program before you book.